Adjustable liquid discharge jet

ABSTRACT

A housing adapted for enclosure in a pool wall has a chamber connecting between an inlet conduit and a discharge jet tube mounted in a hollow ball retained by a face plate across the housing chamber. A spring biases a semispherical cup against the ball containing the discharge jet tube to secure the ball in movable sealing contact with a socket in the face plate. Pressure on a protruding portion of the ball frees the ball for repositioning to redirect the jet tube. A threaded throat in the chamber receives bushings with varying orifices to change liquid flow from the jet tube.

United States Patent Lorenzen [45] July 18, 1972 [54] ADJUSTABLE LIQUID DISCHARGE JET 211 App1.No.: 35,081

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,885,943 5/1959 Divizia ..239/587X 3,012,798 12/1961 Berger ..285/269X 3,144,263 8/1964 Gray ..285/269 Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr.

Assistant Examiner-homes C. Culp, Jr.

Attomey-Wm. Jacquet Gribble [57] ABSTRACT A housing adapted for enclosure in a pool wall has a chamber connecting between an inlet conduit and a discharge jet tube mounted in a hollow ball retained by a face plate across the housing chamber. A spring biases a semisphen'cal cup against the ball containing the discharge jet tube to secure the ball in movable sealing contact with a socket in the face plate. Pressure on a protruding portion of the ball frees the ball for repositioning to redirect the jet tube. A threaded throat in the chamber receives bushings with varying orifices to change liquid flow from the jet tube.

4Clalms,5DrawingHgures 1 ADJUSTABLE LIQUID DISCHARGE JET BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to discharge units for fluids, particularly liquids, under pressure and more particularly to adjustable units adapted for discharging the liquid at variable angles and variable velocity into liquid bodies such as swimming pools.

Previous angularly adjustable discharge units have been cast in the wall of the pool with the articulated portion of the discharge port held in the unit by a face plate conventionally retained by screws to the housing seated in the wall. Conventionally a tubular discharge port is contained in a ball which seats in a socket in which it is maintained by the face plate. In previous devices it is necessary to unfasten the face plate in order to adjust the attitude of the tube or change the orifice diameter through which liquid enters the discharge jet. Normally the discharge units are a foot below the water level so that the pool water level must either be lowered to expose the port or the operator must experience the inconvenience of working below water level. The present invention is directed to overcoming these handicaps in the present discharge units with a new combination of readily obtainable simple mechanical parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention contemplates an angularly adjustable liquid discharge unit that comprises a body which is adapted to be placed in a container wall. The body has a chamber with a tubular inlet and a throat between the inlet and the chamber. The inlet receives conduit of two different diameters. A face plate defines a body outlet and a directional jet tube is movably seated in the outlet and connects with the body chamber. Spring means bias the directional jet tube into frictional engagement with the face plate in sealing contact therewith.

Preferably the throat has means for receiving apertured discs for changing the flow capacity of the unit. A more restricted throat obviously increases the outlet pressure. Both the attitude of the directional jet tube and the efi'ective area of the restricted throat may be changed exteriorly of the discharge unit without loosening or removing the face plate.

These and other advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description and drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the invention shown embedded in the concrete wall of a pool;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 2 combined with an accessory;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a tool adapted for use in altering the effective area of the throat; and

FIG. 5 is a front elevation of an apertured disc adapted for use with the throat of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIGS. 1 and 2 a discharge jet is shown encased in a pool wall 11 and the wall finish layer 12. The discharge jet has a body 14 having a frusto-conical portion 15 with an inner chamber 16 connecting between a restricted throat 18 connecting between a body inlet 19 and a body outlet indicated generally at 20.

The body inlet is defined by a pair of concentric annular walls: inner wall 22 and outer wall 23. Each wall is adapted to receive a fluid conduit, such as the fluid conduit 26 of FIG. 1 or the conduit 27 of FIG. 2. Conduit 26 is fitted within the inner wall 22 of the body inlet, whereas conduit 27 is fitted about the outer wall 23 of the inlet. The discharge jet 10 thereby adapts to immediate juncture with fluid conduits of two differing diameters. Other sized conduits may be connected by suitable adapters (not shown) common in the field of art.

Body inlet 19 connects to the frusto-conical body portion 15 containing chamber 16. The body portion 15 terminates in an exterior cylindrical portion 29 from which a flange 31 protrudes radially. The flange has an annular recess 33. A face plate 35 seats within the recess and is secured to the flange by a plurality of fasteners, such as screws 36.

Frusto-conical chamber 16 terminates in an interior cylindrical annulus 41 which is closed in part by the face plate. The face plate in turn has an opening defined by a spheroidal wall 43 which opens externally of the body.

A jet tube assembly 45 is movably seated in the face plate opening. The tube assembly comprises a semispherical body 47 having an inner cylindrical wall 48 opening toward chamber 16 and a directional tube 49 suspended axially within the opening defined by wall 48 by a closed radial web section 51.

The jet tube assembly is biased into movable sealing relationship with the face plate opening by a bias cup 54 which is urged against the semispherical body 47 by a compression spring 56. The bias cup is spheroidal in configuration and its concave wall 58 conforms generally to the outer configuration of semispherical body 47.

Spring 56 is compressed between a transverse shoulder 61 surrounding an aperture 62 of the bias cup and a transverse wall 63 between chamber 16 and body inlet 19. The transverse wall has a central boss 65 containing throat 18. The throat has an internal thread 67 with which a threaded bushing 69 may be engaged. The threaded bushing has an inner annulus 71 adapted to receive alternately one of a plurality of differently orificed snap-in sleeves like the sleeve 73 of FIGS. 2 and 5. The bushing has a diametric slot 77 in its downstream face. The snap-in sleeve has an upstream flange 78 and an orifice 79. The sleeve is removably pressfitted into the bushing manually prior to the assembly of the bushing in the transverse wall throat.

In FIG. 2 the jet tube assembly is shown in an attitude aligning directional tube 49 with the axis of the discharge jet body. Normally such an attitude directs a fluid stream from the discharge jet normal to the wall 11 within which the discharge jet is housed. In FIG. 1 the jet tube assembly 45 is shown angularly displaced horizontally with respect to the axis of the discharge jet. Dotted configuration 45A indicates an alternate jet assembly position, while the phantom lines 458 show a further alternate position.

Each of the positions indicated by FIG. 1 is achieved by depressing the jet tube assembly inwardly against the force of spring 56 with the palm of the hand and then twisting the semispherical body with respect to the bias cup to achieve the desired angular attitude of the directional tube 49 with respect to the discharge jet body axis. The directional tube may be adjusted to any attitude desired within the limitations imposed by semispherical body exterior shoulder 81 and its contact with the face plate.

It may be desirable from time to time to change either the velocity of the emerging fluid or the volume of fluid delivered. Such changes can be effected by the discharge jet of the invention both without regulation of the source flowing in the fluid conduits and without removing face plate 35. FIG. 4 illustrates a torque tool 83 having a ribbed shank 84 terminating at one end in an operating handle 86 and at the other end in a bushing support disc 87 which is integral with a diametral key 88.

The diameter of bushing 69 is such that it may be passed through the opening defined by directional tube 49. The effective diameter of the threaded orifice 67 is approximately /8- inch, matching the normal inner diameter of fluid conduit 26 which seats within inner wall 22, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. To remove the bushing, whether or not a snap-in sleeve 73 resides within bushing 69, the torque tool 83 is inserted through directional tube 49 into contact with the bushing. Support disc 87 abuts against the downstream face of any snap-in present and supports the inner annulus 71 of the bushing. Diametral key 88 lodges in slot 77 of the bushing, affording a mechanical grip by which the bushing may be rotated from the threaded orifice and supported while it is removed through chamber 16 and the directional tube.

As mentioned above, without the bushing the throat orifice is approximately /a-inch in diameter. By proper selection of the snap-in sleeve 73 the orifice may be reduced as desired in cooperation with threaded bushing 69. Reduction of the effective orifice through transverse wall 63 with no change in pressure through the fluid conduit increases the velocity of the jet emerging through directional tube 49. Such a change does effect a lowering of the volume delivered to the pool through the discharge jet.

The illustrative embodiment can thus be seen to afford a discharge jet wherein both the direction of discharge and the volume and velocity of the delivered fluid can be altered without removing or loosening the face plate. The body of the jet may be placed within the wall structure when the wall is poured and adjustments as to orifices and outlet direction made after such installation. Additionally, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a threaded short conduit 91 may be engaged with the throat thread 67 through the directional tube 49 for adding on in-pool accessories such as automatic chlorinators or therapy brushes and other like devices. A short nipple can be similarly connected within the body without removing the face plate and then be capped to winterize the pool return line for those regions where temperatures during the winter fall below freezmg.

Upstream of the discharge jet the delivery conduit, like conduits 26 or 27, may be interrupted and a tee fitting installed to receive a swirl jet unit to introduce air bubbles into the discharge stream. The snap-in sleeves and the restricted throat may be changed to adapt to this usage again without removal of the face plate 35.

Preferably the discharge jet body is comprises of a high impact plastic, such as that distributed under the trade name Cycolac," in order to resist the corrosive effects of pool chemicals. The compression spring is preferably of a stainless steel alloy. In the illustrative embodiment the discharge tube has a spherical turning angle of 70. Under construction the threaded orifice is plugged by a /4 inch X 4 inch pipe nipple which is capped at one end to protect the unit against contaminants. The unit is made operable merely by removing the pipe nipple after pressure testing. Conduits 26 and 27 may be of plastic pipe such as 1 inch PVC or 1 A inch PVC, respectively.

The illustrative embodiment is to be regarded as exemplary only. The dimensions given are specific to a particular embodiment and are not to be construed as defining the range of sizes to which the invention is adapted. Other modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the particular art and it is therefore desired that the scope of the invention be measured by the appended claims rather than the illustrative description above.

I claim:

1. An angularly adjustable liquid discharge jet comprising a body, a body inlet, a body chamber, a transverse wall between the inlet and the chamber, an aperture in the transverse wall, means for adjusting the wall aperture size; a face plate at the opposite end of the body chamber from the inlet, an annular wall defining a seat in the face plate, a hollow jet tube holder movably seated in the face plate seat, a directional tube fixed in the holder to move therewith; an apertured bias cup in the chamber, a spring compressed between the transverse wall and the bias cup loading the cup toward the face plate, and a concave wall in the cup receiving the jet tube holder movably therein, said spring-biased cup forcing said jet tube holder into sealing movable contact with said face plate; said jet tube holder being externally adjustable while the face plate is in place by being axially displaceable against the spring load to interrupt the seal with the face plate.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means for adjusting the aperture size comprises a bushing with an orifice and an extreme outside diameter less than the inside diameter of the outlet directional tube.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means for adjusting the aperture size comprises internal thread forms in the wall aperture, an externally threaded bushmg having an outside diameter less than the inside diameter of ment with the slot to remove the bushing externally. 

1. An angularly adjustable liquid discharge jet comprising a body, a body inlet, a body chamber, a transverse wall between the inlet and the chamber, an aperture in the transverse wall, means for adjusting the wall aperture size; a face plate at the opposite end of the body chamber from the inlet, an annular wall defining a seat in the face plate, a hollow jet tube holder movably seated in the face plate seat, a directional tube fixed in the holder to move therewith; an apertured bias cup in the chamber, a spring compressed between the transverse wall and the bias cup loading the cup toward the face plate, and a concave wall in the cup receiving the jet tube holder movably therein, said spring-biased cup forcing said jet tube holder into sealing movable contact with said face plate; said jet tube holder being externally adjustable while the face plate is in place by being axially displaceable against the spring load to interrupt the seal with the face plate.
 2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means for adjusting the aperture size comprises a bushing with an orifice and an extreme outside diameter less than the inside diameter of the outlet directional tube.
 3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means for adjusting the aperture size comprises internal thread forms in the wall aperture, an externally threaded bushing having an outside diameter less than the inside diameter of the directional tube, at least one flanged sleeve having a central orifice and adapted to seat in the bushing, said bushing having a downstream radial slot, and a torque tool adapted to extend through the tube and rotate the bushing by engagement with the slot to remove the bushing externally.
 4. A fluid discharge jet in accordance with claim 1, wherein the body inlet comprises inner and outer annular walls each adapted to receive a fluid conduit. 